Green Brooding
by Russkafin
Summary: When Bruce Banner goes MIA, Nick Fury recruits Captain America to form a recon team to find him... but there are more forces at work than they could imagine.
1. Introduction

A note about how this story was written: I (Russ) wrote the first chapter on a whim, and e-mailed it to my friend Mike, asking him to write the second chapter. From that point on, we alternated, with Mike writing the even chapters and myself writing the odd ones. The only rule of this little game was that we could not discuss where the story was going. It became a fun challenge to throw each other curveballs and cliffhangers with each new chapter, and try to take the story in new and interesting directions. What we ended up with was a story that surprised both of us with how cohesive it turned out to be, and with the insights we were able to find into some of the characters. We hope you enjoy it!


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

He flipped the lighter open with a metallic "clink," and had to give it a few good flicks to get the sparks to form a flame. He had to shield the lighter with his hand as he brought it to the tip of the cigar that he clenched in his teeth, to keep the wind from blowing it right out.

"Damn things," he thought to himself. He mentally brushed away the recurring thoughts about how ironic it would be if the cigars were what finally did him in, after all he'd been through. Wars, terrorists, supervillains... and in the end, it was nothing more than a bad habit that would probably be what took him to his grave. "And that's if I'm lucky," he mused. He took a long drag off the cigar, then let the smoke seep out from the corners of his mouth.

Another man walked toward him, and took a seat next to him on the park bench. Neither spoke for a moment. The silence was not an uncomfortable one, merely a formality as the two old colleagues surveyed the surroundings, making sure they were alone.

"It's good to see you again, Nick," said the younger man. "How have you been?"

The older man flicked the ashes from the tip of the cigar. "Let's skip the bullshit, Rogers. This isn't a social visit. You see any tea and crumpets laid out here?"

Few men spoke to Captain America in such a tone. Most were afraid to. Nick Fury, however, was simply a man who did not care to waste time. There was business to discuss.

"I have to admit I was surprised that you wanted to meet here, and not at SHIELD headquarters or the Avengers Mansion," Steve Rogers replied.

"That's because this is unofficial. Off the books. I don't want the Avengers involved, at least not in any formal capacity. This is even classified among SHIELD personnel, only those at the very top have any knowledge of what I am about to discuss with you."

Nick took another drag off the cigar, then lifted a small briefcase off the ground and set it in his lap. He flipped open the clasps with his thumbs and tossed back the lid. He then proceeded to remove a folder from the briefcase, which he handed to Steve.

Rogers opened the folder and flipped through the files inside. The dim illumination from the streetlight was enough to make out the familiar face that graced the top page.

"This... is Bruce Banner. He's gone missing?"

Fury silently rubbed his hand over the stubble on his face.

"But, sir, it was my understanding that Banner has been missing for years. I thought he was on the run."

"Don't kid yourself, son. SHIELD has kept tabs on Banner the whole time he's been on the lam. Just not much we could always do about it, however. Throw any heat his way and all you do is cause a lot of property destruction and maybe lose a few lives. We spend most of our time trying to keep trouble away from Banner without him knowing it."

"And now, he's, what, dropped off the radar? You have no idea where he is?"

"Keep reading, Captain."

Steve flipped through the remaining pages of the file. His face fell. He bowed his head and closed the folder.

"So where do we go from here?"

"I want you to assemble a strike force, Cap. A recon team. We need you got get Bruce Banner back before it's too late."

"You sure you don't want the Avengers in on this?"

"Damn it, Cap! In the public eye, Banner is a wanted fugitive! The last thing we need is a bunch of retards in tights crying 'Avengers Assemble' like it's the fucking '70s and you're headed to an all-night disco! We need to keep this as low-profile as possible. Listen, call in anyone you want, but you have to keep it quiet. The public will not know about this, do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

Cap handed the folder back to Fury. Fury flipped the lighter back open, and gave it another flick. The two men watched as the files went up in a slow-burning flame.

Fury stood up and dusted himself off. He tossed his cigar on the ground, and stomped it out with his foot as if it were a bug. "Damn things," he said again. "Call me when you have your team together, Cap. I'll be waiting."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"_No Avengers. Keep it quiet. That's the way Nick wants it. If it were any other man I'd tell him my answer with the back of my fist, but not Fury. That man demands respect, and he's watched my back more times than I care to remember,"_ Steve Rogers thought to himself as he stood outside a street corner in the Bronx.

"_The question is, why do you call in a man as colorful as Captain America for a recon mission?" _

Steve thought this over a moment as he purchased a sausage and onions from one of the numerous street vendors littering the street around him. As he bit down into the steaming meat he thought of all the people that he trusted enough to bring in on this new assignment.

"_Well, there's obviously Tony, but Nick doesn't want any of the team involved with this one, which means it could get messy. Don't like the idea of having to work with other colored costumes then, so we'll have to do this a little bit differently. There's a particular runty old man with a disposition for violence that's always in the mood to lend a hand, especially if it's a tango with Banner."_

Steve finished the rest of his lunch and wiped his mouth with his shirt sleeve, realizing that he would probably have to ask that man for help again, although he was wary of being able to keep him in line. However, he would be a logical choice, considering he didn't want more than five people involved with this, otherwise the numbers would be harder to control. Easier to keep a tighter unit if you pull in the ranks, his military mind dictated such decisions. That might take care of numbers anyways, because that bezerker can handle any number of men on his own.

"_But what we need is power. Banner could give us a problem bringing him in, and if he starts letting his green friend do the talking for him, then it's going to be well beyond what I, or the runt can handle. We need some real power, some off the radar power." _

Steve reached into his coat pocket, removed a cell phone, and dialed the operator.

"This is Rogers, Steve, clearance code Avengers Alpha 001, give me a hard line connection to Genosha," Steve said. He waited a moment for the operator to route the call.

"Hello Steve, what can I do for you today?" a voice answered on the other end of the line. Steve muttered to himself how unsettled he was by telepaths, even ones that were his friends.

"Hello Professor. Well, if you knew it was me, then you also should know that I didn't call looking for you," Steve said as a noisy car blared its horn at a jaywalking pedestrian.

"Of course Steve, I was just being formal. Give me a moment, I'll get Erik for you."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Steve Rogers," the voice on the other end of the line replied. "And to what do I owe this honor?"

Cap took a moment to swallow his pride. It did not sit particularly well with the star-spangled patriot that he was about to ask a known mutant terrorist and supervillain for help. "Mr. Lensherr," Steve said, trying to keep the conversation as formal as possible. "I am calling to request your assistance on a mission of national security. Your country needs you."

The man known as Magneto couldn't help but laugh. "Is that right? I believe, Captain, what you mean is, YOUR country needs me. In case you hadn't noticed, I have taken up residence in Genosha as of late, and I dare say I am quite content to be here. In fact, if I am not mistaken, I believe I am currently placed rather high on your country's Most Wanted List."

"The United States Goverment is aware that you were not the one who committed the recent devastation in New York City, and that it was the act of an impostor."

"Comforting," Erik said. "Though I doubt that absolves me of all of my crimes."

"I can see to it that you are granted amnesty," Steve offered.

"That does not interest me, Steven. I am quite busy at the present time with the rebuilding of Genosha."

"I can get you aid in your rebuilding process from the United States government."

Erik laughed. "My dear boy, that is the last thing we need. That President of yours would be tearing this place apart for natural resources within hours if you sent your people over."

"Magnus," Steve said, clenching his teeth. His patience was wearing thin. "Do you think I would be calling you if this wasn't serious?"

The other end of the line was silent for a moment. Then, the eventual reply. "How bad is it?"

"I can't give you all the details over the phone, obviously. Nick Fury will hold a full briefing once we have the team together. Let's just say, a weapon of mass destruction has fallen into the wrong hands, and if it's not recovered, a lot of people will die." He paused, then added, "Mutants and humans alike."

Again, silence. "All right, Steve. You have my assistance. I will do what I can to help."

He breathed a small sigh. "Thank you, Erik."

Steve Rogers flipped the cell phone shut, ending the connection. Well, that was one down. He stepped out into the street and hailed a passing taxi cab, which pulled over for him. He was sure Logan would be game for this. He'd give him a call and buy the guy a beer later that night and he'd be in. If he was going to keep the team to five, then that left three spots open.

There were not many who could go toe-to-toe with the Hulk on a physical level. Since that was a definite possibility, it would be good to have someone on the team who had traded blows with the green brute in the past and lived to tell the tale. Fury obviously wanted a team that could remain inconspicuous if needed, and would not be recognizable to the public. Well, being large, orange and rocky did not really fit that disposition, but, Fury wasn't picking this team, Steve was, and Fury could go to Hell if he had a problem with it.

"Where to, mac?" asked the cabbie as Steve slid into the back seat.

"Yancy Street, please," Steve replied.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

As Steve stood in the elevator riding to the top floor of the Baxter Building he thought about all the incredible moments he'd had with Reed and the Four in the past. He couldn't even count the number of times Reed's intellect had pulled him and his teammates out of any number of jams, intergalactic disputes, and potentially world- ending space brawls. When the door of the elevator opened, Steve was greeted by a stunning blonde haired woman.

"Well I'll be. It's been too long since you paid us a social visit, handsome," Sue Richards said in greeting as she ran over to give Steve a hug. Fifty years frozen in ice and Steve still couldn't forget how good she felt in his arms.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Richards," Steve said, taking off his hat. "But you must know I'm here on business. Is Ben around somewhere?"

"Er… well, kind of," Sue trailed off with a strange expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Steve asked, instinctively looking around the room for signs of danger.

"No, no, nothing's wrong per se. Oh hell, might as well let Reed explain it, they're in the back of the lab," Sue said, pointing towards the East end of the floor. Steve made his way over towards the lab door and when he opened it he was happy to see that even after all he'd been through, he still could be surprised.

"What in the name of…" Steve trailed off as the door closed behind him. Inside the room, suspended twenty feet in the air was the unmistakable bulk of the seven foot tall orange skinned Thing, with the giant heart of gold. Around the Thing's body were thousands of what looked like energy strands and particles, escaping into the surrounding walls and little pockets of anti-matter. Tangled amongst the energy strands and flashes of light were two elongated hands and two elongated feet, stretching around the room with various gizmos and gadgets in hand.

"Hey hey hey! It's the ol' boyscout! What's up Cap!" Ben said in a warm greeting.

"Please Ben, if I have to advise you to refrain from speaking one more time..." Reed cut himself off as he saw his old friend. "Oh, greetings Steve. What can I do for you today?" Steve took a moment to examine the room once more and then began his sales pitch.

"Well, I kind of required the use of Ben for a little side project I've undertaken."

"What is it this time? Galactus? The Skrulls? Has Xavier lost control again?" Reed raced through about a dozen different problems and both Ben and Steve chuckled at his apprehension.

"No no, nothing like that this time Reed. However, it could be extremely dangerous and I could use Ben's muscle. I can't say much but I can say it involves a certain green skinned, ill tempered friend of ours who may need some help," Steve said.

"Oh man! That freakin' Hulk! I'd like nothing more than to do a few clobberin' rounds with that clown! But if Banner's in trouble, I'm your man!" Ben shouted excitedly.

"Actually, not this time old friend. I haven't finished the experiment yet. You see Steve, I have analyzed the dense matter that exists within the Negative Zone itself and have been working on a filtration system that would allow the contaminated particles in our atmosphere to escape into their realm, and vice versa. By correlating which toxic elements would be benign on the other side, I can keep a continuing recycling process going between all the zones at once," Reed said excitedly.

"Okay, I have no idea what you just said. But why do you need Ben? Can't I borrow him for a few weeks?" asked Steve.

"Sorry old friend, if it were a catastrophe yes, but I can't restart the experiment again, it has to be aligned with the correct star positions, and I need the unique density of the rock that makes up our cheerful buddy here in order to balance the equation. I've already tried every substance known on Earth and beyond and there is simply no composition anywhere that resonates at the same frequency as Ben's skin," Reed continued as Steve looked dejected.

"Damn, I woulda loved another few rounds with Banner. Wimp," grunted Ben from his harness.

"I understand Reed. Maybe next time Ben," Steve said as he replaced his hat and began to exit the lab.

"If things get out of control Steve, you know we'll be there in a second," said Reed as he returned to his work. Steve nodded his head and re-entered the elevator after saying goodbye to Sue. _Well, that means Ben is out,_ he thought to himself. He also thought that maybe that was for the best since he was trying to keep somewhat of a low profile. But that meant with Logan and Magneto, he still needed two more people for his team. Raw brawn did seem essential, so he would definitely have to think of another bruiser to take along, maybe someone who could fly under the radar, but then who else… Steve was interrupted by his cell ringing.

"Hello, this is Steve?"

"Rogers. It's Fury. We just got intel on Banner again, it seems he's been captured this time and it doesn't look good. It's like nothing we even thought possible, but it looks like there are two forces at work here. One is extraterrestrial and one is, well, let's just say the other is supernatural," Fury said between the clenched teeth of his cigar.

"Great," Steve muttered to himself, tempted to head back up the elevator and take Reed up on his offer. "So what, you want me to recruit Dr. Strange or something?"

"Fuck no Steve, that crazy asshole can't be trusted for a mission like this. No, I'm assigning a member to your team, whoever you decide to pick, and I might mention you leave tomorrow at midnight, this person is also going with you. Head over to Hell's Kitchen and find Danny Ketch, he should be drinking his life away at some bar."

Steve sighed aloud, he didn't even remember if Ketch still had his powers or not, difficult to keep track of things like that.

"So we need him then? So Nick, what is this other supernatural force we're talking about?"

"Well Cap, let's just say Hell might finally be pissed off enough to come out and play. Get moving."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Danny Ketch downed another shot of vodka, then gave the bartender a wave indicating that he was ready for another beer. He ran his sleeve across his face, wiping away the traces of alcohol that had somehow missed his mouth and run down his chin. He let out a long, lingering sigh and silently prayed again that there would be no innocent blood spilled that night. Of course, he was never exactly sure who it was that he was praying to.

Ketch reached for his wallet. They didn't let you run a tab at Roz's Bar any more. Too many people either skipped out or got shot before they paid the bill. But before Danny could pull out another gin-soaked wad of cash, a hand clasped down on his shoulder.

"I've got this one."

Danny looked up to see a tall, blond man wearing a bomber jacket and a pair of slacks. He recognized the man as Steve Rogers.

"Holy shit... Captain America!"

Steve gave a half smile and looked around at the bar full of drunks and vagrants.

"You can call me Steve, Danny. In fact, in a place like this, please do."

Roz the bartender slid two bottles of ice cold beer down to Danny and Steve, and casually popped the tops off with a bottle opener. Steve handed her some money and told her to keep the change.

"Hold up a second, bub," came a gizzled voice from behind them. "I'll take one, too, long as yer buyin'!"

A short, scruffy individual who already smelled of booze and cigar smoke hopped up onto the bar stool next to Steve.

"Glad you could make it, Logan," Steve said. Then, to the bartender, he added, "We'll take one more, Miss."

For sake of convenience, Steve had decided to call Logan up and invite him to the bar as well, so he could talk to him and Ketch both at once. Since time was a factor, he had to get his recruiting done as soon as possible so Nick would have time to brief them all before their mission officially began at midnight the next night.

"I have a favor to ask of you boys," Steve asked, getting down to business as Roz passed Logan a bottle. "I've been asked by Nick Fury to put a team together for a covert mission for SHIELD. I can't say much about it right now, other than that it involves... a weapon, of sorts, that may have fallen into dangerous hands."

"What kind of weapon?" Logan asked.

"A biological one," Steve replied. "A big, green biological one."

Logan smiled. "Shit. If you're talking about who I think you're talking about, you better be buying me more than just one beer for this one, pal." He took a long swig of his drink.

Steve turned to Ketch, who didn't seem to have caught on to what Steve was talking about the way Logan had.

"Danny," Steve said. "According to Fury, there may be some... supernatural forces, at work here. Forgive me for asking, but do you still have your powers? We believe you could be very useful, but to be honest with you, I can't keep up with whether Ghost Rider is actually you, or Johnny Blaze, or...?"

Ketch snorted as he stifled a laugh. "My 'powers.' Good one. My curse, you mean? Powers are something that you can control. A curse is something that controls you. I only transform into Ghost Rider when the blood of the innocent is spilled. Once that happens, he's in control, not me."

"Fair enough," Steve said. "I still think you could be a valuable asset to our team. Especially if this involves... Mephisto."

Danny shot up from the bar stool, knocking over his beer as he grabbed Steve by his jacket.

"Don't you ever say that fucking name around me! Don't you EVER say that fucking name around me!"

"Whoa! Easy!" Steve placed a hand on Danny's shoulder as Logan got up from his stool to defend Cap. After an awkward moment, as Danny realized how ridiculous he looked, he relaxed and sat back down.

"I... I'm sorry, guys. I don't know what came over me."

Just then, Logan turned his head to the side. He sniffed the air, his hyper-acute mutant senses picking up something amiss.

"Logan? What is it?" Steve asked.

"Trouble."

At the back of the bar, seated at a small table, three Latin American men in business suits had begun arguing. Two briefcases sat on the table, one of them open but facing away from the crowd so its contents were not visible to anyone but the three men. One of the men stood up, still shouting.

"That briefcase is full of cocaine. The other one is full of money," Logan said.

The standing man continued shouting something in Spanish. Then, one of the seated men, a small, fat Mexican, drew a gun, and shot the standing man in the face.

Almost instantly, about a dozen other Latin American men scattered around the bar sprang to their feet, yelling and cursing and drawing guns. Other bar patrons scrambled to their feet, diving for cover or trying to run out of the bar.

"Son of a bitch," Cap muttered, getting to his feet and taking off his bomber jacket. "We don't have time for this."

Gunshots rang out all over the bar at once. Men fell to the ground, dead. More guns were drawn. More shots fired. Cap and Logan went to work disarming as many men as they could, but they could only move so fast.

Smoke began to rise from Danny Ketch's collar. He could feel the fire starting to burn beneath his flesh. Not everyone in this bar was a drug dealer or criminal. Some people just came here because they wanted to drown their sorrows. Now those people were getting shot up in the crossfire because of a bad drug deal, and innocent blood had been spilled. The Spirit of Vengeance was coming. He closed his eyes tight and clenched his fists and waited for the change to take hold of him.

The small fat Mexican man grabbed one of the briefcases and made a run for the door. As he was only a few steps away, a shotgun blast tore through the window, and the man's head blew apart in a spray of blood and brain matter. His lifeless, headless body hit the ground with a thud.

The door to the bar flew open, and in strode a man wearing a long black trench coat. In one hand, he held a shotgun. In the other hand, a pistol. On his chest, a large white skull.

"No time for this, Cap?" Logan yelled, a grin from ear to ear as bullets continued to whiz by his head. He popped three adamantium claws from each hand with a SNIKT. "There's always time for a good old-fashioned bar room brawl!"


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The three men sat scattered around the cluttered apartment of Danny Ketch. It was in complete disarray, with pots and pans and garbage strewn about the room aimlessly. Logan kicked a pile of clothes off the couch and plopped down on it. Danny opened the fridge and handed Logan a longneck, then popped one for himself. Steve kindly refused.

"Well, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind for a first meeting," Steve said as he took a seat in a patched up recliner. Danny swallowed half of his beer in one swig and sat on a busted air conditioner.

"Been awhile since I had to ride like that. But I have to say it was nice to see Castle again," Danny said. Steve grimaced. Once the Punisher showed up the scene had turned into a riot act. The police were there in no time at all, but by then there were just bodies everywhere and more blood on the walls than anyone cared to remember.

"You might as well just cut to the chase Cap, with our lifestyles you're only gonna get a few moments of quiet time," Logan said between a sip and a burp. Cap nodded and gathered himself, because he knew this was going to be difficult, especially for Logan.

"As I tried to say before at the bar, this involves Banner, otherwise known as the often times incredibly pissed off Hulk."

"I tangled with the Hulk before," Danny interrupted as both Logan and Steve looked over at him. "Well, it was awhile ago, in the early nineties. Seems I was more popular back then." Steve shook his head and continued.

"Anyways, he's been kidnapped. Fury filled me in on what he knew, but that wasn't much. Said it involves an alien threat of some sort as well as…..Mephisto." Steve continued despite Danny's clenched fist. "We think he may be used as a weapon, and as you all know, if that is the case then God help us."

"God never has anything to do with us," Danny said as he finished his beer.

"Whatever. I'm in Cap. Still have to follow your orders anyways right, since I'm still serving my sentence with your gang of Avengers?" Logan said. Steve hesitated and wanted to tell Logan about the other member of his team. He wanted to tell him right there and then that his arch nemesis, the man who had once violently ripped the adamantium from his bones, was going to be working with him on this mission. But now wasn't the time, not in front of Danny, who needed to be on this team no matter what according to Fury.

"Aw hell, I'm in too. Nothing much better to do," Danny said, throwing his empty bottle into a corner. Logan followed suit.

"So who else is on our little commando team?" Logan asked, standing up.

"There's the three of us and one other superpower type. Then we just need someone with some real bashing power. I have a guy in mind that I'm going to try and contact. And then there's just one more person that I need you to recruit Logan," Steve said, looking at his friend.

"Me? Shit, I don't like asking others for help Cap," Logan trailed off as Cap cut him off.

"Yeah, but this guys one of yours. You have to get him to come, and you have to get him tonight because we leave tomorrow early in the AM. You get your guy, I'll get mine, and Danny, well, Danny you just try and sober up." Danny laughed to himself and headed into the bathroom as Logan and Steve exited the apartment.

"Okay, now that the kid's out of ear shot, who's this alien threat Cap, and who do you need me to get?" Logan asked.

"The Brood," Cap said coldly. Logan tensed up as he remembered the last two encounters he had with the alien Brood. The first time they impregnated him with one of their eggs and it hatched inside of him. That one sure did a number on his healing factor. And the last time was with the Fantastic Four when he had been bombarded by cosmic radiation and could stretch like Reed Richards.

"Great," Logan muttered, "So who you gonna want? Colossus? The Elf? Slim?"

"No Logan," Steve continued, "The Brood are an army of limitless numbers. When they're involved there's no telling how many of them there could be. We need an army for our little strike force. A one man army." Logan lowered his head and ran a hand through his thick tangled black hair.

"Oh. Okay, I'll get Jamie Madrox."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The SHIELD Briefing Room. Logan, Danny Ketch, and two instances of Jamie Madrox sat at the large table in the center playing cards. One of the Madroxes reached out and swept a pile of cards toward himself.

"Hey, not so fast, bub. I took that trick."

"No, you didn't."

"You played a Jack, I had the Ace."

"That was the Left Bauer, Logan."

Logan sighed. "I still don't get this Euchre shit. You sure you guys don't wanna play poker?"

"I'm still not sure that a man having his own duplicate for a partner isn't automatically considered crossboarding," Ketch said. "Don't you guys always know what the other is thinking?"

"No," both Madroxes said in unison.

"It's a damn good thing we're not playin' for money," Logan said.

The doors to the Briefing Room slid open, and Steve Rogers and Nick Fury strode in.

"This is it, Cap?" Fury said with a grimace. "I know I didn't give you a lot of time, but this is all you could round up?"

"There are two more on their way, sir," Steve said. "They should be here any minute."

"You still haven't told us who's joinin' us on this little romp, Steve," Logan said. "Anyone we know?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that, Logan," Steve replied. Then, to Ketch and the Madroxes, he added, "Would you excuse us for a moment?"

Logan left the table, and Madrox created another duplicate of himself to sit in and play the next hand, to Ketch's dismay. Steve took Logan aside, and the two men stood in a far corner of the room.

"What's this all about, Cap?"

"I just thought you should know," Steve said, calmly, "that one of the members of our team is Erik Lensherr."

Logan's eyebrows furrowed and his mouth scrunched up into a scowl. "You called in Magneto?"

"I needed a powerhouse, Logan. I don't like it much more than you do. But I think he could prove to be very useful, and if Professor Xavier has been willing to make amends with Lensherr, then that's good enough for me."

Logan's eyes darted to the side, and he sniffed the air. "Speak of the devil."

The doors to the briefing room slid open again, and in walked the Master of Magnetism himself. He wore not the cape and helmet that the public eye had come to know and fear, but rather a pair of dress pants, a button down shirt and a fedora hat.

"Hello, Steve. Logan," Erik said, pleasantly.

Logan's claws popped, almost as a reflex. "Afternoon, Erik," Logan said, trying his very best to sound civil. True, as Steve had said, if Xavier had been willing to give Erik another chance, then maybe he really was a changed man now. But just being in the same room as Magneto made Logan's bones ache with the painful memory of having his adamantium skeleton ripped from his body years ago. He'd sooner stab his claws straight through Erik's chest then even have to think about reliving that experience.

"Charles sends his regards to all of you," Erik said, removing his hat.

Fury just shook his head. "Didn't see this one coming, Cap." He took out another cigar. "Gotta say, took some stones to make that call."

"So what's this all about, anyway?" Ketch asked impatiently, growing frustrated as he and Madrox lost hand after hand to the team of Madrox and Madrox.

"We don't have time to wait around all day," Fury said. "When the final member of your team gets here, the rest of you can get him caught up to speed."

Everyone took their seats as Fury pressed a button on a small remote control. A screen dropped down from the ceiling, projecting an image of Bruce Banner.

"This is one Dr. Robert Bruce Banner. Most of you are familiar with him, having tangled with his alter ego at one point or another. As I explained to Captain America, we here at SHIELD have kept surveillance on Banner for years, trying our best to keep the boy out of trouble. After all, trouble for Banner means trouble for humanity in general. Last week, we received a call from a Dr. Leonard Samson, an associate of Banner's. Seems Banner missed a scheduled appointment with Samson, which caused him to become concerned. Our men noticed that Banner had been acting strange lately. We couldn't put our finger on it, but his movements didn't seem the same, he wasn't following his usual patterns of behavior or using any familiar aliases or hideouts. We had our men bring Banner in... a risky move, yes, but we felt it was a necessary action. What we found once we had Banner in custody was not Bruce Banner at all."

Fury pressed another button on the remote.

"It was a Skrull."

The picture of Banner vanished, and was replaced by footage of two SHIELD agents torturing a Skrull that had been tied to a chair.

Just then, the door to the Briefing Room slid open once more. In walked a man with a chiseled physique, who was dripping wet and wore nothing more than what amounted to a green pair of Speedos.

"Sorry I'm late," he said.

Fury took a long drag of his cigar. "That's quite all right, Prince Namor. But for the love of God, would you please put some fucking clothes on?"


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"So let me get this straight," Jamie Madrox continued as he piloted the S.H.I.E.L.D. stealth ship through a thick patch of fog, "There's what, some kind of Skrull invasion and the Hulk is tied in?"

"And the Brood," Madrox, the co-pilot chimed in.

"Don't forget Mephisto," a third Madrox duplicate said from the aft of the cabin. The jet screamed through the upper atmosphere as Madrox brought the ship towards its destination, the location where the Banner Skrull was picked up. The occupants in the plane were all clad in black leather, as Fury had insisted that no colorful costumes be worn for this type of covert mission.

"Let's just keep our heads and relax, soldiers. Fury gave us the coordinates of the Skrull's last known location. We're to check it out and find any useful information that will help us assess where the real Banner is, and what, if anything, the Brood or Mephisto has to do with any of this," Steve said from his seat in the starboard side of the craft.

"Whatever we do, mind you Rogers, I will need to return to the waters after about a day or so," Prince Namor said from the seat behind Steve. Steve nodded his head as pilot Madrox whispered to his co-pilot.

"Why does he need to go back to the water?" The co-pilot pointed his index finger to the side of his head, making a face and spinning his index finger in tiny quick circles. "Oh, okay. I get it."

"Hey Namor, I saw Sue Storm about a week ago, she still is looking fine," Logan joked between an exhale of cigar smoke. The smoke curled up into the air and then was sucked up by the air filtration systems.

"Cute, Logan," Namor grunted as he crossed his arms and stared out the window.

"So this is how you heroes spend your leisure time," Erik said from the aft seat of the plane. Danny Ketch squirmed in his seat next to Magneto. He couldn't believe he was actually in the same company as any of the people that were on this plane. Just a few days ago his biggest concern had been having enough money for beers and burgers, and now he was in a covert mission that could save the world.

"Quiet all of you. We're over the coordinates now," the smooth, confident voice of Steve said, silencing the men. It was three in the morning so visibility outside was nothing. Madrox began to motion the craft to a lower altitude. Suddenly, a loud, creaking sound resonated throughout the hull. It sounded like metal grating on metal and the plane itself froze in place and refused to respond to either of the Madroxes' commands.

"That doesn't sound good at all," murmured Ketch. The screeching sound continued for a few terrifying seconds and then abruptly stopped. In the short silence that followed, chaos erupted. The entire roof of the plane was torn off and disintegrated into a thousand tiny particles. With the hull breached, the air inside became a vacuum and everything that wasn't bolted down was hurled through the open canopy. The only person not strapped in was Logan, and he flew out of the plane like a bullet from a gun. The plane fell into a tailspin, plummeting towards the Earth at breakneck speed. Captain America took command of the situation.

"Jesus, everyone hold tight! Namor, get out there and retrieve Logan! Magneto, try and hold what's left of the plane together and brace it for impact!" Namor tore his restraining belt off and flew out of the canopy. Outside there was debris and flames everywhere and Namor could barely see. He finally located a faint outline that he assumed was Logan and dove towards it. He collided with the plane as it swirled around and the entire package crashed into a complex that was fairly large. The plane was in about a thousand pieces and there were bodies strewn everywhere. The impact alone had created a half dozen other Madrox duplicates who were now helping the others to their feet.

"Report! Stand together in a circle until we can assess the situation!" Cap said, brandishing his trademark shield and searching the area for threats.

"Here," Namor said coldly, dusting himself off.

"Pissed off," Ketch said, his skull blazing with fire.

"Present," Magneto said, hurling debris off of himself like it was confetti.

"We're all here too," the Madroxes said in unison.

"Fuck.. ugh. Here," a voice was heard a few feet away form the encircling heroes. "This really hurts… can someone get me off of this?" The others turned to see Logan, whose body had fallen a few hundred feet and landed on two broken metal cylinders that had pierced through his flesh and punctured his internal organs.

"Jesus Christ..." one of the Madroxes whispered. Magneto lifted his left hand and, with controlled precision, removed the metal stalagmites from Logan's body. His limp form fell to the floor and he spit up blood from his mouth. He coughed twice more and could feel his liver and lung knitting themselves back together, and the open wounds closing around them.

"Thanks Mags, almost good as new," Logan said, stumbling to his feet and joining the others.

"Anyone have any idea what just happened?" Ghost Rider asked.

"Not yet. But we're sure as hell gonna find out," Cap said between clenched teeth.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Logan cracked his neck as his internal organs finished regenerating themselves. Too bad the rest of his cigars were lost somewhere in the debris from the plane. For some reason, having his healing factor kick in always made him crave a good smoke.

"Hey, bub, your head's on fire," Logan said to Ketch, now Ghost Rider. "Thought you said this only happened when the blood of the innocent was spilled."

"Indeed," Ghost Rider replied, his voice hollow and rumbling. "Much blood has been spilled here. The halls of this complex reek of evil and death. Thus, the Spirit of Vengeance has been awakened."

"Right," Logan said. "I liked you better when you were the goofy drunk guy."

"All right, everybody, fall in line," Cap ordered, trying to regain some authority after the chaos of the crash. "Madrox, pull yourself together, will you?"

"Yes, sir," the nine or so Madrox multiples said in unison. They began to merge together, getting their numbers back down to a more manageable three or four.

"So what happened to the ship, Cap?" Namor asked.

"Not sure, Namor. Could have been a force field, alien tech, magic..."

"Magnetism," Logan offered, casting a sideward glance at Magneto.

"Do you really think I would have come along on this mission simply to sabotage it, while putting my own life at risk in the process, Logan?" Erik scoffed.

"Not sayin' anything. Just know that I'm keepin' an eye on you, metal head."

"All right, that's enough," Steve barked. "We have to stay focused, and bickering among ourselves is not going to help anything. Now, whatever it was that caused us to crash into this place, I don't know, but someone or something wants us to be here."

"Creepy," one of the Madroxes said, shivering. He looked around the complex. It looked like some kind of old, abandoned military science base. Giant, antiquated computers and machinery filled the hall that they now stood in, though they were covered in cobwebs and dust. The ceiling rose high above their heads, giving the whole place an echoey emptiness.

"Did you say this was where they found the Skrull that was impersonating Banner?" Namor asked.

"No," Steve said, pulling out a palm pilot that Nick had issued him before they left. Steve had only taken it at Fury's insistence, since Cap still had trouble dealing with modern technology most of the time. "According to our GPS, we're about 10 miles away from the diner where they picked up the Banner Skrull."

Magneto tossed aside some more of the debris from their crashed ship. As he did, he exposed a large doorway, with a spiral staircase leading downward.

"All right," Cap said, returning the palm pilot to his belt. "As long as we're here, let's explore the complex, see if it can reveal any clues about what caused our ship to crash. Maybe there's a connection between this place and Banner's disappearance."

They all fell into line behind Cap, and descended the old staircase. It creaked and groaned beneath their combined weight.

"It sure is dark down here," Logan commented. "Hey, flame head, any chance you can glow any brighter?"

The flames surrounding Ghost Rider's skull shot up higher, casting off more illumination and lighting up the dark stairwell.

"Damn. I was only kiddin'," Logan mused.

The further down they traveled, the darker the stairwell became, and a dank, putrid smell filled the air. Steve had to brush away cobwebs from his face, and the creaking of the stairs only got louder as it echoed all around them.

After what seemed like forever, they finally reached the bottom of the staircase. It quickly became evident that Ghost Rider's illumination was not going to be sufficient, and Steve pulled a flashlight from his belt and clicked it on.

"My God..."

They were now in a small, narrow, brick corridor. Carved into the wall was some kind of language that none of them recognized.

"Is this some kind of alien writing?" Namor asked.

"It's nothing that I've ever seen before," Cap said. He took the palm pilot back out and clicked a few buttons on it. "Fury, this is Steve," speaking into the device. "I'm sending you a visual transmission. See if you can run these markings through the SHIELD database, cross-referencing with any known alien languages."

Steve held the palm pilot up and took a digital picture of the wall. An icon came up on his screen, indicating that the image was being transmitted to SHIELD. Suddenly, the screen went dead.

"What happened?" Madrox asked.

"I don't know..."

Ghost Rider turned and faced down the long, empty corridor, staring into the darkness.

"We are not alone down here," he said, his voice as cold as the grave.

Logan popped his claws. "Boys," he said. "I got a real bad feelin' about this."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Danny Ketch caught his breath in a spasm as blood spurted out of his mouth and splashed on the cold concrete floor. He stared at it for a moment as the blood continued to drip from his chin and pool on the floor in front of him. He was on his knees and his hands were chained above his head, connected to some kind of mechanical contraption. Where was he? What had happened? He glanced to his left and blinked a few times. His eyes were swollen, making it was difficult to see anything. He could faintly make out the images of Namor, Madrox and Captain America chained in a similar manner as himself. He turned his head, fought back a wave of nausea and pain, and glanced to his right. Logan and Magneto were in the same shape as well. He tried to work through the cobwebs inside his brain and remember what had happened to them. There was a scent, something in that corridor, something familiar. Logan had sensed it too, and then? Blackness. Pain. He moved his arms to try and wiggle against the chains but it was useless, he had neither the strength nor the powers.

"Your friends will be out for hours. I was disappointed with them, I thought for sure the animal would have lasted longer," a cold, harsh voice said from the shadows. Danny didn't need his vision to know the source of that voice.

"Mephisto," Danny said coldly through clenched teeth.

"Please Daniel, let's not do with the melodramatic, it's unbecoming. I'm sure you have a thousand questions, and I'm not going to answer any of them. Well, except one perhaps, I'll at least let you know that I'm behind all of this. I know how much that irritates you, so that's why I'm mentioning that one. Consider it a freebie. And secondly, that was no Skrull you've found. Its not even alive." Mephisto laughed aloud as he stepped out of the shadows, his elongated crimson body visible in the dim lighting of the cell. "It was a demon, one of my numerous servants."

"You mean slaves," Danny spat. Mephisto let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

"Ah Daniel, always so self righteous. Perhaps that's why I selected you in the first place to carry the Spirit of Vengeance. But that is neither here nor there. That is all I'll say, is that Banner, god, this will be so fantastic when it actually plays itself out, is not on Earth. You and your pitiful band of misfits here better locate him soon, because the events I have set in motion will surely bring an end to your world, and fill mine with countless innocent souls," Mephisto continued as he walked over to Danny and placed his hands around Danny's head. "I could devour you Daniel, at any given moment. But you amuse me. Sometimes. So have fun while I leave to finish what I started. I leave you a small token of my appreciation. You will relive your worst fear. And it will drive you insane. The others were magnificent, the animal moaning away about some woman from his past, Steven was a dreadful bore about Bucky, Erik was nice and pleasant with his holocaust memories, not to mention his daughter going insane, Namor whined about Susan for quite some time, and that pathetic Madrox fellow just gave up entirely. Let's see what you have inside, my friend, because none of you will ever get out of here. Might as well wake the others now as I depart, so they can watch you go about your business, then each of you will fall asleep again. Toodles Daniel, enjoy the show," Mephisto said as he vanished in a puff of red smoke.

Danny looked to his sides as the others came to. Then suddenly his mind warped around him. He was somewhere else and had no memories except of the moment surrounding him. He was making out with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. She was shorter than he was, barely five feet tall. Her hair was a chestnut brown with the slightest touch of red throughout. Her eyes were the color of the Earth's soil and in them he found eternity. Their kiss grew in passion, and then she pulled away from him and said goodbye. Danny was eighteen and this was the woman he was in love with more than anything in the world. He was so happy to be with her, and he couldn't believe that she loved him as much as he loved her. The memory sped forward a few months, and the two were arguing now. Again, Danny could only remember the moment he was in, nothing else. The two were fighting, an argument of sorts, and then the woman slapped Danny across the face and ran into the street shouting she never wanted to see Danny again. Danny wanted to run after her and take her in his arms but he knew that she didn't want him anymore, for a mistake he had made. As he watched her run off into the street a car screamed out of control around the corner and slammed into her. Danny whispered her name at first as he ran over to her fallen body.

"April…" Danny found her lying in the street, blood streaming from her nose and ears.

"Danny," April coughed between a mouthful of blood. She gasped for another breath. "I love you. I shouldn't have run away…. You are everything to me…" Then she went quiet and limp in his arms.

"April… I love you too… April….APRIL!" The voice of Danny Ketch rose and climbed into higher levels of anger. He felt his knuckles turn white with rage and he wanted nothing more than to punish the person responsible for her death. He knew it was his fault, his fault that she had left him. The rage built within him and grew to unprecedented levels. Back on the cold concrete floor, Danny Ketch was no longer present. The flesh melted and burned from his face, as the spirit of vengeance consumed him. He ripped himself free from his chains, sending hellfire left and right, freeing his teammates. Ghost Rider whirled around and destroyed half of the cave cell as his anger was unleashed with the ultimate power of hate and rage. Finally, the tantrum subsided, and the flames around Danny died down as he fell to his knees.

"Holy shit… I guess that's why we brought him along after all," Logan said as he ripped the last chain from his arm. Steve walked over to Danny and put his arm around the boy's shoulder.

"You did good, soldier, you did damn good," Steve said. Danny wiped away the tears from his eyes and collected himself.

"We have to go off world. I know where Mephisto has gone to," Danny said coldly.

"And how do you know that? Did he tell you?" asked Magneto curiously.

"No. But I can feel him. I know where he is. Let's go," Danny said coldly. The gathered commandos departed the cell cave.

"This is getting crazier by the moment," Madrox mumbled to himself as he and his duplicate followed the others.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Fury," Steve said into his com-link after they'd reached the surface and were standing outside the complex. "The Banner imposter is not a Skrull. It's a demon of some sort. You have to warn your men before--"

"It's too late, Cap," Fury replied. "The creature has already escaped our custody, leaving two of our top SHIELD agents dead. What about you, are you boys all right? Your ship dropped off our radar hours ago."

"We had an encounter with Mephisto. Seems he really is the one behind all of this. Nearly killed all of us... forced us to relive some of our worst memories."

"Damn. All right, son, we have to start taking this a little more seriously. I'm coming out there personally to pick you boys up. Just stay put, all right? Fury out."

Cap clicked his com-link shut. He turned back to his troops. "Everybody doing okay?"

He received a few mumbled replies from the rest of the team. Everyone was a bit shaken up, but they would be fine. The quietest one of the group at the moment was Danny, who was standing off by himself, facing away from the others. Cap walked over to him and gently put a hand on his shoulder.

"You doing okay, Danny?"

"I'm not too sure, Cap."

"Y'know, Danny, it was Nick Fury himself who hand-selected you for this mission. He told me I could pick anyone I wanted for this team, but he insisted that you be a part of it. That's quite an honor coming from him, there aren't many men that Fury puts that kind of faith in."

Danny laughed. "Faith," he repeated. "S'a funny word, isn't it? What does it mean to someone who doesn't believe in anything anymore? Someone who's lost everything, even hope?"

"Come on. That's no way for someone who just saved his teammates' lives to be talking. You're a hero."

"I'm a man with a curse. I'm a man whose soul is bonded to some kind of demon that I don't even understand. That's why Fury picked me, because he knew Mephisto was involved and he knew I might be useful. It had nothing to do with him having faith in me. You have a job to do, you pick the right tools for the job. Fury picking me was the same as a repair man picking out a socket wrench. It had nothing to do with faith."

Cap pulled his hand away. "Well, I have faith in you, Danny. When the chips were down, and all of us, Logan, Erik, Namor, Jamie, me, were all immobilized, you were the one who found the strength to fight back and free us all. All of us were going through our own personal versions of hell, and you were the only one who had the sheer force of will to fight through it. So because of that, I do have faith in you, and I would gladly put my life in your hands again if it came to it. If that counts for anything."

After a moment, he turned away, and started to walk back towards the group.

"Cap?" Danny called after him.

"Yes?"

"It does. And thanks."

Cap smiled. "Any time, soldier."

Before long, another ship touched down next to the complex. Nick Fury disembarked, chomping on a cigar.

"Say Nick, you got any more of those things?" Logan asked.

"Not now, Logan," Fury said. "Cap, give me a status report."

"Well sir, Mephisto told Danny that Banner isn't anywhere on Earth. So we have to find a way to get to Mephisto."

Fury took a long, slow drag off the cigar. "And how do you propose we do that?"

"I need you to put me in contact with Reed Richards," Steve said. "When I met with him earlier this week, he'd discovered a way to transport matter into the Negative Zone. I need to know if he can recalibrate that machine he's created."

"What exactly are you saying, Captain?" Fury asked.

"I'm saying," Steve replied, "that I need Reed Richards to send us to Hell."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"You realize the complications and risks involved in inter-dimensional travel?" the cool voice of Reed Richards continued as he stared down across the conference table at the most eclectic team of super heroes he had ever seen gathered in his life. "I can send you guys to 'hell' as you refer to it, but in reality it is a dimension of negative flux. Not the negative zone itself, however, a realm that involves the true an absolute negation of life. It is beyond comprehension really, but alas, it must exist for the life in our world and others to exist as well."

"Cut the explanations Richards, we don't have time for that shit. Just send the boys through," Fury barked from his position behind the briefing table. Sue Richards walked through the room and passed out coffee to the gathered men. Namor's eyes lingered on the woman longer than he should have and he cursed himself for still having feelings for a human.

"Fine Fury, and once again your tact is always appreciated," Reed quipped. The gathered men actually laughed aloud at the rare joke by the man known as Mr. Fantastic. "Okay then. Let's get started," Reed said as he and the men left the table and headed into an adjunct room filled with all sorts of machinery and technological devices.

"If they're going, you can count me in for this round. Now that that experiment is over with I want to do some clobberin' and get my hands dirty again," Ben Grimm chimed in from the lab.

"No can do, Ben. There's a catch involved with entering the negative flux environment," Reed said as he began to manipulate several devices at once.

"Of course, there's always a catch," one of two Madrox multiples said under his breath.

"No one can enter the negative flux zone that is a pure form of life energy. The zone itself dictates that life has to have been tarnished and or negated in order to have physical context and awareness in that particular realm. Thus, the negation of life is what is necessary for cohesion. What this means, in layman's terms, is you have to have killed someone in order to travel to the zone," Reed continued coldly as he looked at the others. "And I know you haven't killedm Ben. You guys?" Logan laughed heartily,

"Yeah, I've got that category covered," Logan said.

"Ditto," Namor and Magneto said in cold unison.

"I'm the same," said Steve.

"All I know is death," Danny said from his solitary position in the corner of the lab. All eyes turned to Madrox.

"What about you rookie? You don't seem like the killing type?" asked Logan.

"We need Madrox, badly, especially if we're heading into an encounter with the Brood," Steve said quickly.

"Relax Cap, I'm in too. A few years back, when X-Force disbanded, I kinda slipped into a depression. Well, I was drinking one day, and well, I shot one of my duplicates in the head," Madrox said quietly, looking at his feet.

"Jesus. Looks like you put the perfect team together for this mission," Namor said coldly.

"Fine. Hold tight. I'm sending you in. Brace yourselves," Reed said as the threw a final lever. There was a brilliant flash of light, followed by pain.

The pain and light finally subsided, and the rag tag team of heroes entered a world where they never imagined they could ever be. They were instantly surrounded by a horde of creatures that defied all sense of reason. The creatures were about six feet tall with clawed feet and hands. They had no faces save for a gaping hole in the center of what would have been a man's head, and the hole was filled with razor sharp teeth. Their numbers stretched as far as the eye could see in every single direction. About a few hundred yards from the group there was a wide red glowing light that was an opening of some sort, a doorway that led to another world. That was the destination that they had to reach. Danny could feel it inside of him. That was the doorway that Mephisto had gone through, but where it led he did not know. He assumed it was the Brood homeworld, but that wasn't much better than the hell they were in. The wild pack of creatures moved in for the kill.

"Alright team! Cut into them, make a perimeter! Cut loose!" Cap ordered as he whipped out his trademark shield from off his black clad back. He swung it with deafening force and sliced the throats of three of the mindless beasts.

"Finally. Been waiting for this chance for days," Logan said with a crazy smile. Two violent snikt sounds screamed out as six twelve inch blades sprang from the back of his hands. Logan cut loose with a beserker fury the defied logic. He cut, slashed, thrusted, dove, rolled, bit, kicked, screamed and came back up for air and more. Blood, limbs, and bile flew everywhere as Wolverine unleashed like he was born to do. He felt his muscles tense and his mind leave him as the beast took over and he knew and wanted nothing save the kill. The sweet, hollow kill. Adamantium claws tore through demon flesh like it was butter and the frenzy was unparalleled.

Namor threw demons through the air with a strength beyond belief. He flexed his muscles and tore through the demon flesh with his bare hands. It had been awhile since he'd been able to work out like this, having been bogged down by imperial duties under the sea, but now he was in hell and ready to punish these foul creatures. Plus, he was still in a rage from having seen Susan again and not having the balls to even say a complete sentence to her. So he let his rage do the talking through his fists.

Magneto was a god, and he was about to show this 'hell' what real pain was. His arms stretched left and right from him and allowed his magnetic powers to increase to their full potential. The demons were being crushed all around him with the weight of his powers. Their attacks, claws, and fangs were bouncing harmlessly off of his magnetic shields, which he was also kind enough to project around his teammates. He still didn't know why he was here with these "heroes", however, if his daughter could be helped that was enough. He had failed many times in the past, especially when he was considered by the world to be a villain. He would not fail in this. He would not fail Wanda.

Jamie Madrox was having the time of his life. Every single one of him. After only a few minutes of the altercation, he had been hit so many times and attacked so many different demons that there were at least a hundred some odd multiples of himself. Hitting, kicking, and fighting like his teammates at X-Force and X-Factor had taught him to. This was freedom he only dreamed about, every time his body split his mind was able to relax and experience even more, this was incredible! One of his multiples wandered too far out of Magneto's protective shield and was cut down. As the blood spattered to the floor and the Multiple returned to the man who was truly the Multiple Man, Danny Ketch was finally able to enter the fray.

"Bout fucking time," Ghost Rider said with a grin. "We don't have time for this. Come on." In an incredible display of strength Ghost Rider summoned his hellfire motorcycle to himself and, with his left hand, used his chain to wrap up all his teammates. He floored the engine of the bike, tearing up and burning demon's flesh in his wake, and sent the bike and his teammates into the red gateway. Again, there was a flash of light, and every sense these heroes had ever had vanished, and they entered a new world. The Brood Homeworld.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"I wouldn't have thought this was possible," Namor whispered. "We just left Hell... and I think we have found someplace worse."

The Brood homeworld was a nightmare come to life. The heroes felt as if they were inside a giant beehive. All around them, the vile, disgusting creatures known as the Brood crawled, slithered, and flew around them. The stench was almost as overpowering as the deafening droning sound of thousands of pairs of wings buzzing around over their heads. So far, at least, none of the Brood seemed to have noticed their presence.

"Game plan, Cap?" Logan asked. "I don't suppose you want us to stop one of these overgrown mosquitoes and ask them if they've seen Dr. Bruce Banner, physician, scientist, tryin' to hitch a ride to the next town, eh?"

"The game plan, Logan," Steve replied, coolly, "is we follow Ghost Rider's lead, since he seems to be able to hone in on Mephisto. Meanwhile, we cut through as many of these dirty disgusting bugs as we can."

Ghost Rider revved the engine on his flaming motorcycle. "Follow me, boys. Mephisto's not far away. I can feel him in my bones." With that, he reared back on his motorcycle as if it were a mighty steed, then tore off, blazing a flaming trail behind him.

Logan let out a wild, savage battle cry and gave chase after the bike, blood glistening off his claws as he tore through a nearby Brood. The creature let out a pained screech in the throngs of death as Logan eviscerated it.

This attracted the attention of the other Brood. They descended upon the group like a swarm of locusts.

"Perhaps asking nicely wouldn't have been such a bad idea," Magneto said, dryly. He levitated himself into the air, using his control over magnetic forces on the metal that SHIELD had lined his black leather suit with. Energy crackled and fizzled around his hands as he drew metal particles from the air around them.

Cap swung his mighty shield back over his head, and brought it down hard on the back of one of the creatures, breaking its neck in one chop. Another dove at him from behind, and Cap spun around, slamming his shield into its face, breaking teeth and drawing blood.

Prince Namor ripped a hunk of boulder from the ground, sweat pouring from his brow. He had been away from the water for a long time, and the heat of this disgusting planet was sapping his energy. He was working on pure adrenaline now. He heaved the boulder at a pack of swarming Brood, hitting one right in the head and cracking the creature's skull. It fell to the ground with a splat. The thrill of the fight sent a surge of energy through Namor. He lifted off the ground and took to the sky next to Magneto, fighting the dirty creatures with his bare hands, punching and hitting them as they dove at him. He couldn't help but laugh.

One instance of Jamie Madrox stayed at the back of the group, punching himself in the face over and over and over again, adding to the already hundred or so multiples that had been created during the fight in Hell. He had never made this many multiples before. He'd always wondered if there would come some point where he would max out, and his consciousness would not be able to handle being split any further. Well, today just might be the day he found out. Either way, he was going down fighting. A dozen Madroxes tackled a Brood and beat it to a pulp, even as it thrashed and bit and spit at them. Another group climbed up a gooey, sticky wall of sludge, then dove at passing hordes of the fliers, throwing punches on their way down. Another ten or so joined in right beside Captain America, fighting alongside the super soldier himself.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Nick Fury paced as Reed Richards stretched himself across the room, checking monitors and typing in calculations on the enormous machine that had been constructed to send the team into the next dimension.

"Are you sure our boys are still alive, Richards?"

"Yes, quite sure," Reed replied. "Though we have no way to keep a visual monitor of their activities, I'm still getting a readout of their bioelectric energy signals. They're all still intact, though I have to admit, Madrox isn't making this easy for me. There's about a hundred and fifty seven of him, as of my last count. It's hard to keep the energy balance between the two worlds stable when I have to keep readjusting the levels every time he multiplies. Oops... wow. Make that a hundred and eighty three."

Fury started to light another cigar, when Reed stretched his neck around so that he and Fury were face to face, despite being on opposite ends of the room.

"Please don't," Reed said. "This equipment is very sensitive." He retracted his neck and went back to monitoring the screen.

Fury sighed and put the lighter back in his pocket, and set the cigar down on the table. Begrudgingly, he had a seat.

"Funny, isn't it?" Fury said aloud. "Mephisto turns out to be behind this, and Cap ends up picking Danny Ketch for the team. Didn't realize the two of them had any history together, really. And yet Ghost Rider has some kind of link to Mephisto. Damn lucky that Cap thought to pick him."

Reed turned away from the monitor. "Come again?"

"I said, it's damn lucky that Cap thought to pick Ketch for the team, being as the kid has a connection to Mephisto."

"But, Nick..." Reed said, confused. "I spoke to Cap when you all first got here today... when he explained to me everything that had happened since his last visit, he told me that you were the one who picked Ketch for the team."

"What the hell are you talking about, Richards? I left the team up to Steve. I told him he could pick anyone he wanted."

Reed and Nick just stared at each other for a moment.

"Oh my God..." Reed said.

Fury sprang to his feet. "Richards! Get those boys out of there, NOW! It's all a blasted trap!"

TWO DAYS EARLIER...

Steve Rogers rode the elevator down to the ground floor of the Baxter Building, as Nick Fury barked into his ear over his cell phone.

"I'm assigning a member to your team, whoever you decide to pick, and I might mention you leave tomorrow at midnight, this person is also going with you," Nick said. "Head over to Hell's Kitchen and find Danny Ketch, he should be drinking his life away at some bar."

Steve sighed, trying to remember if Ketch even still had his powers or not.

"So we need him then? So Nick, what is this other supernatural force we're talking about?"

"Well Cap, let's just say Hell might finally be pissed off enough to come out and play. Get moving."

The call ended. On the other end of the line, the man who had been speaking as Nick Fury shifted forms. He stroked his beard and laughed to himself.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Danny," Mephisto mused. "Your soul will be mine at last."


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

The Brood's numbers were staggering. The insectoids swarmed like a hostile pack of hornets and attacked the pack of black clad heroes relentlessly. Their numbers continued to grow and the fight grew bloodier and bloodier as the time passed on. Blood, guts, insect wings, carcasses, and filth splattered in every direction, drenching the red rock planet with sludge and chaos. The Brood continued to emerge from crevices surrounding the men and swooping down from the skies. Namor and Magneto fought back to back in the skies shielding their teammates from the aerial assault. Few could believe the master of magnetism would be paired with the ruler of Atlantis, especially defending the likes of this team on the homeworld of the Brood. The sweat poured off both men as they strained their powers to the maximum level of output.

"We can't do this all day Captain!" yelled Magneto as he ripped apart five brood who had leapt at him from a nearby mountain perch. Their charred corpses fell to the ground and splattered into a pile of yellow and brown mush. Captain America hurled his shield through a pack of the creatures, cutting a line through a cave opening that was a few kilometers from the group.

"Ghost Rider! Follow that path and find Mephisto, take Namor and Magneto with you!" Steve screamed as his shield returned to his hand covered in Brood blood. Ghost Rider swept his wide chain around his head and decapitated three Brood drones. He floored his motorcycle and headed down the tunnel that Captain America had created. Namor and Magneto flew over to the bike and followed it in. Before they reached the entrance of the tunnel, Namor shouted back to Captain America.

"But Cap! You need our strength to protect you!"

"Go soldiers, that's an order! Find Mephisto and find Banner! That's our mission, so do it now! We'll hold off the majority of the Brood!" Steve shouted as a two Brood tore into his back. He whirled and smashed them together with his bare hands. Ghost Rider, Magneto and Namor vanished into the cavern opening in a burst of smoke and fire.

"So, this is your great plan Rogers?" Wolverine spat as he eviscerated three Brood drones with his left hand.

"Yeah Logan, it is. Just like WWII, let's clean this cancer up. Madrox, do Logan and I a favor, and show us that you're as good as we both hope you are," Cap said icily as he whipped another attacking Brood with a leg sweep.

"Yes sir!" several of the Madroxes said together in unison. This was Jamie Madrox's time to shine. He had always been a "D Level" super hero, never being taken seriously by any of his teammates at X-Factor. Now, he had been hand picked by Captain America himself, and if Cap believed in him and his abilities then so did he. Jamie Madrox cut lose. Multilple Man multiplied. The instances of Madrox became so frequent that the blur of the black clad heroes began to equal and counter the swarm of brown that was the Brood. Within a few minutes there were hundreds of thousands of Jamie Madroxes sparring off against the millions of Brood warriors. Captain America and Wolverine fought back to back as Magneto and Namor had done in the skies. Adamantium claws combined with the blue of the red and white shield that, despite the Brood's best attempts, continued to return to Cap's hand time and time again. The number of casualties on the Brood's side ranged in the thousands already, yet still their numbers came and continued to grow, and countering them, Multiple Man continued to match his own numbers. It got to a point where every second another seven hundred instances were created.

As the brutal fight about the landscape of the Brood homeworld continued to rage, the ground beneath them began to shake and quiver. A few hundred yards behind Logan and Captain America the ground erupted and exploded, and from the Earth emerged a completely enraged, and apparently brainwashed, Incredible Hulk. Surrounding the Hulk were about a thousand other odd Brood insectoids that had the hint of green running through their brown exoskeletons. It appeared they were larger and more ferocious than their brown counterparts, as if they had been irradiated by the same gamma rays as the Hulk.

"My God…" Steve trailed off as a Brood bit into his leg. He kicked violently with his other boot and crushed the insect's head.

"Aw hell. Fuck this shit," Wolverine said through clenched teeth. He ran full sprint towards the Hulk. The Hulk recognized his old sparring partner as Wolverine leapt into the air and sent all six of his adamantium claws into the eyes of the Hulk, who let out a bloodthirsty scream. The Hulk and the hulked out Brood swarmed Logan and began pummeling him. A few hundred Madroxes leapt in to his defense. Captain America reached into his belt for a device Reed had given him secretly before they left. He pushed a tiny red button on the device and sent out a signal to someone. He just prayed they were listening as he continued his assault and war with the Brood.

Ghost Rider ditched the cycle as he and Namor and Magneto entered the dark shaft. Namor and Magneto were both caked with the blood of the Brood and their own as they walked into the darkness. Ghost Rider just had the Brood's blood on him, as he had no flesh from which to bleed.

"Mephisto is in here. I can feel it," Ghost Rider said with his hollow voice. The cavern was illuminated from GR's flames and from the light that Magneto as generating with a magnetic force. Namor was sweating profusely, and he was starting to lose it. His rage was beginning to take over him and he realized he needed to get into the water soon. But he wondered whether or not there was any water on this god forsaken rock.

"Do you really believe, Mr. Ketch, that Mehpisto does not know we are here? Do you really think that he has not decided for us to be here in the first place?" Magneto said as he floated behind Ghost Rider.

"I know Magneto. If there's anything I know in this world, it is Mephisto," Ghost Rider said coldly. The three continued to walk down the dark chamber. Magneto reached into a pouch on the side of his pants and removed a thin folded metal sheet. With a wave of his hand the metal molded and reformed into his signature purple helmet. The helmet floated in the air and came to rest on his head.

"And I am never one to be unprepared as well," Magneto said as both Namor and Ghost Rider looked at him. The three rounded a corner in the dark cave and saw a large room open up around them. The room had an unknown source of illumination and many different levels. Sat perched on the rising levels were several Brood drones that were more green in color than brown and they were larger than the drones they had been fighting outside.

"It would seem these Brood have been altered somehow," Namor said as he clenched his fists.

"Altered, to perhaps mimic…" there was a blinding flash of light, "…the Hulk." Magneto finished his sentence as he stood standing in front of the Incredible Hulk and a swarm of gamma irradiated Brood on the surface of the planet. Namor stood beside him.

"What the hell is Ghost Rider! Well don't just stand there, might as well join the party!" one of a million Madrox clones shouted as Magneto and Namor rejoined the fray. Meanwhile, deep within the cave, Mephisto stood before Ghost Rider.

"I thought it would be better if it was just the two of us," Mephisto hissed behind a devilish grin.

" I don't care what your game is here, Devil," Ghost Rider said with rage. The flames about his head burned brighter and he clenched the chains that were in his hands. "Let's end this!"


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Wolverine dug his claws deep into the back of the mindless, raging creature known as The Incredible Hulk. The monster screamed, his bellow shaking the ground and deafening those around him. The Hulk reached back and swatted at Wolverine, trying to knock the feral mutant off of his back. The creature's vision was only now beginning to return, having been stuck through the eyes by those adamantium claws a few minutes ago.

One of the green, mutated Brood leapt onto Wolverine, instinctively defending the Hulk. The beast sunk its teeth into Wolverine's neck and shoulder, tearing away flesh and muscle. Wolverine roared with pain, lashing out wildly at the Brood with his claws in a frenzied attempt to get the damn thing off of him. This was all it took for the Hulk to be able to shake Wolverine loose, then grab him with a single giant hand. The Hulk swung Wolverine over his head, and smashed him hard onto the ground, causing Logan to go as limp as a rag doll.

Magneto soared overhead, and raised his arms like a conductor about to lead an orchestra. He could feel the metal ore beneath the surface of this planet, embedded within it. With a single grand gesture of his hand, he tore a huge chunk of metal-rich rock from the ground, raised it high into the air, and smashed it down atop the raging Hulk.

No sooner had the green goliath dug his way out from under the rock than Namor flew at him, plowing into the Hulk at full force and knocking him flat on his back. In an instant, more of the green Brood piled on top of Namor, biting and clawing at him. Then, a heap of Madroxes piled on top of the Brood, punching and kicking and even biting right back.

Several dozen yards away, Captain America struggled to pull himself out from under a pile of equally vicious Brood warriors. He was covered in blood, his eyes were nearly swollen shut, and he was trying to ignore the bones that he was sure were broken and fight through the pain.

"How much longer do you think we'll have to keep this up, Cap!" about a dozen Madroxes said in unison. Steve silently wondered if he'd meant to do that, or if at this point Jamie's consciousness was so spread out that he couldn't tell one self from the other any more.

"Not much longer, Multiple Man," Steve said, spitting blood as he hacked into another Brood with his shield. "Help is on the way."

Deep within the cave beneath them, Ghost Rider stood before Mephisto and a pack of green, drooling Brood drones.

"If you wanted it to be just the two of us, Mephisto," Ghost Rider said, noticing the disappearance of Magneto and Namor who had been at his side just moments ago, "then why do you surround yourself with these monsters?"

"These creatures?" Mephisto laughed. "Don't worry. They're only here to watch... and perhaps gnaw on your bones once I tear you apart."

Ghost Rider drew his chain out and swung it over his head, then leapt at Mephisto in a fit of pure rage. He whipped the chain at the demon's head, but he caught it with his bare hand and yanked Ghost Rider right to him. Their faces were inches apart.

"I'm going to kill you, Mephisto," Ghost Rider growled.

"Kill me? Kill me!" Mephisto laughed. He placed his hands on either side of Ghost Rider's flaming skull. "You can't kill me! Don't you get it, you stupid fool! I'm the DEVIL! I'll devour your soul, Daniel Ketch, at long last!"

"You may be the Devil," Ghost Rider said. He flung his chain out once more, and wrapped it around Mephisto's neck. He pulled it tight, and Mephisto's eyes went wide with surprise. His hands went to his neck as he struggled to pull the chain away from his throat. "But I'm the Spirit of Vengeance. And that only means you have all the more sins to relive as you stare into my eyes."

Back on Earth, Reed Richards urgently typed calculations into the main computer system.

"Can you pull them out of there, Richards!" Fury bellowed.

"I don't know," Reed said. "I should be able to, but, the problem is Madrox. Every time he multiplies, I have to recalibrate the system that's keeping the energy flow between the two worlds constant. At this point he's multiplying so fast that I can barely keep up with him, much less try to figure out how to bring them back prematurely."

"What do you mean, the energy flow?"

"Since the team traveled to the Brood homeworld though 'Hell,' which is a dimension with an energy flow that is negative to our own, we have to take in an equal amount of that dimension's negative energy to balance out the positive energy that we passed through the gate."

"And where is all this energy going, exactly?" Fury asked.

"I have a containment unit in the sub-basement of the Baxter Building," Reed said. He gestured absently towards one of the monitors that hung from the ceiling of the room. Fury stared at it. The monitor showed a huge containment unit that seemed to be the size of a football stadium, that was just barely containing a huge mass of glowing, crackling, sizzling black energy.

"And what the hell happens when that containment unit can't hold any more energy!" Fury cried.

Reed stopped typing for a moment, and ran his hands over his gray temples. It was one of the few times Nick Fury had actually seen Reed Richards sweat.

"If that happens, Colonel Fury..." Reed said, his tone grim. "Then 'Hell' comes to Earth."


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Of all the battles Steve Rogers had fought through, this one by far was the bloodiest and the most insane. The fight had been raging on for the past four hours and the combined men were all but spent. Steve ripped into two more Brood warriors and took a kick to the spine from a gamma irradiated insectoid.

"Obviously Rogers, Mephisto is planning some sort of invasion force!" the master of magnetism shouted as he crushed another dozen Brood with a magnetic field. "No doubt to try and increase his strength by killing the planet Earth!" Magneto dodged another leaping Brood and continued his effort to keep the Hulk off guard. The Hulk, raving mad at this point, was even destroying and smashing Brood warriors, his efforts were so completely out of control. Wolverine was just as beserk. Rage filled the two of them as they met each other blow for blow. There were times during the fighting when Wolverine's body would crumple to the floor and the Brood insects would start to eat at his body. Once the healing factor kicked back in he would regenerate and come back twice as ferocious. He had died so many times on this hell rock that he was beginning to think he was immortal. Namor's fists and body were caked in mud and he was barely able to stay conscious his Atlantean muscles stretched to the breaking point. He fought relentlessly, but the Brood's numbers were overwhelming. Captain America took out another Brood with his mighty shield, and all of a sudden to his right and left Madrox multiples started dropping to the floor. When the multiples fell to the floor they continued to multiply as they hit the ground, however the new multiples were as limp and lifeless as the ones that had fallen.

"Madrox? Are you okay man!" Steve shouted in panic.

"Cap, we can't stop multiplying, we can't control it," every single one of the million some odd Jamie Madroxes said together. His conscious began to separate and he was all of the instances of himself and none of them. Some of them continued to fight and others continued to drop, however, so many were being created that it didn't matter.

"He's having some kind of seizure!" shouted Magneto as he tried to use his powers to halt the Multiplying man. Distracted by this new objective, Magneto didn't see the rock size boulder that the Hulk hurled in his direction. His guard temporarily down, the boulder smashed into Magneto, cracking his helmet and sending him hurling to the ground. Namor rushed over to him and got him back on his feet.

"Thank you Namor," Magneto said coughing up blood, a gesture of sincerity rarely seen by the once mutant terrorist. "Charles, if you can hear me, we could use some help here."

The fighting continued to rage on and it seemed like no end could be in sight save for the death of the valiant men fighting hopelessly against all odds, the definition of heroism. Then, all of a sudden, a large black shroud began to fall over the battlefield. The men froze in their tracks, and the Brood collective mind was momentarily stopped as the insects tried to discover what was happening. Nearly all the light from the three suns surrounding the Brood homeworld was blocked out and darkness fell across the entire battlefield. Steve smiled as he looked up into the darkness, thinking that at least the device Reed had given him had worked. If they couldn't stop this invasion and rescue Banner, then they were going to end this thing right and for all. Up in the darkness, the object that was blocking the suns was no comet or asteroid. It was as large as a planet and known throughout the universe. The figure was clad in purple and magenta and as he raised his massive hands, his voice shook the ground the heroes stood on.

"I have come to consume, as a favor for a friend named Richards, Reed, human, this planet. Prepare yourselves for destruction," the booming, hollow voice of Galactus, world devourer, rang out into space.

Meanwhile, underneath the planet's core, Ghost Rider and Mephisto engaged in a battle worthy to decide the souls of all those who had ever lived and died. As the two combatants came at each other, each blow caused hellfire and electrical energies to be unleashed and the walls of the cave and the planet quaked. The two continued to hit each other with everything in their arsenal. Having similar powers, it basically became a street fight. Neither said a word, each realizing that to the victor went life and the souls of others, and to the loser nothing but eternal damnation. As the two matched each other blow for blow it soon became clear that their demonic powers were truly and equally matched. The energy they were releasing was incredible and was building in magnitude around them. This too, was how Galactus was able to find the world and Reed's homing device so easily, however, neither of these two demons cared that the world around them was about to be destroyed. This build up of energy, though, was causing some severe problems in another area of the galaxy….

Back on Earth Ben Grimm strained every fiber and inch of his orange rocky exterior.

"I can't hold it much longer Stretch, this could be it!" shouted the Thing over a shower of exploding sparks and machinery. The Thing was holding a large defensive barrier trying to push back the energies of the void that was being created. Reed stood franticly working controls and trying to recalibrate his machinery.

"God damn it Richards pull this thing together and get our boys home!" shouted Fury as he held onto support beams in the lab. Reed whirled his head around and elongated to face Fury.

"I can't get them home Nick! And even if I could, I still need someplace to store all of this energy that is about to reach critical mass! The overload is imminent and there's no way I can dissipate all of that energy through out the proper channels in order to make it harmless and no threatening. That calculations needed to do that are just far too chaotic, there's now way to predict something like that!" Reed screamed as another panel exploded off the back wall.

"That's it Richards, you cocky son of a bitch," Fury mumbled to himself, "Even in a panic you come up with the answers you're looking for, even if you don't know that you did."

"What are you talking about Fury?" Reed asked quizzically.

"Chaos. I know who can control chaos and make those incredible odds happen. I just hope she's found herself enough to help," Fury muttered as he opened up his comlink. "Fury, Delta clearance 003 beta, Priority frequency to reserve member, code named Quicksilver." The line sputtered on the other end and Fury started talking before the other person had a chance to say hello, "Boy, this is Fury, get your sister to the Baxter Building, now! She has to make up for almost destroying the world by quietly saving it."


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

For the first time in hours, the Brood weren't devoting all of their energy to attacking the group of heroes. Some of them had actually started to scatter as the natural, instinctive panic set in that always occurred in the presence of Galactus, when the inhabitants of a planet began to sense their own impending doom.

Many of the creatures, however, still had some fight in them. Especially the green, mutated, Hulked-out ones. A Brood the size of a Buick lunged at Cap, who reared back and delivered a crushing blow to the creature's face with his bare fist. It was enough to stun the beast for a moment, and then Cap followed through with his shield, decapitating the vile thing in one swoop.

"All right, troops!" Cap bellowed. "Fall back!"

"What!" the Madroxes cried in unison.

Cap winced. "Damn it, Jamie, don't say anything! When all of you talk at once like that, the sound is deafening! Just try to start pulling yourself together, if you even still can! We won't be able to take all of you back through the portal, start decreasing your numbers, NOW, soldier!"

The Madroxes slowly started merging with each other, but it was an almost futile endeavor. More multiples were still being created every second, as more Madroxes were being knocked around by the Brood. For every dozen Madroxes that managed to merge themselves together, it seemed that a hundred more were being created somewhere else.

"What do we do about Banner, Cap?" Namor cried, trying with all his might just to keep fighting.

"Magneto," Cap yelled. "Do you think you can immobilize the Hulk? Tear up some more of the ground, and encase him in it, like a shell, so we can bring him back to Earth?"

"I don't know," Erik called back, still soaring above them. "The creature's rage is still so intense... it will take a tremendous effort for me to keep him contained. I'm not sure I have the strength."

Just then, Erik heard a voice in his mind. It was the voice of his old friend, Charles Xavier. I will help you, Erik, Charles said. I heard you calling for help a moment ago. It is not easy for me to reach across such a great distance, but I have been trying to read Banner's mind... he is filled with a greater rage than ever before, his mind poisoned by Mephisto. I am trying to calm him down, to get him to revert back to human form, but it is proving to be very difficult. Right now his rage is fixated on Logan. Get the two of them to stop fighting, so that I can try to calm him.

"Logan!" Magneto yelled. "Stop fighting with the Hulk! We need him to calm down so that he will revert back to Banner!"

But his words fell on deaf ears. If the Hulk's rage was fixated on Logan, then Logan's rage was just as fixated on the Hulk. The two old rivals had reached a primal, animalistic state and were going at each other with an inhuman frenzy, tearing, smashing, clawing, biting. They were both covered in blood and were sporting wounds that their overtaxed healing factors just couldn't keep up with. The Brood warriors were now staying clear of the violent mess that was the Hulk/Logan fight, since so many of them had been crushed and killed beneath the fury of the two combatants.

"I'll see if I can break them up," Namor said.

"Don't bother, Namor," Erik replied. "Besides, you'd probably get yourself killed." With another gesture of his hand, Erik locked onto the metal that lined Wolverine's bones, and lifted him into the air, away from the Hulk.

Wolverine thrashed around in the air as Magneto held him, suspended high above the confused Hulk below. Logan spat and swore and slashed at the air.

"Be quiet," Erik said, trying to hide a slight grin at the sight of his old enemy thrashing about like a madman. "Or I'll rip out your adamantium again." With that, he casually waved his hand from right to left, and sent Logan flying a good mile away from the Hulk.

Go ahead, Charles, Erik thought. Bring Bruce Banner back to us.

The caves beneath the surface of the planet were now completely ablaze. Ghost Rider stepped through the flames, dragging his chain behind him. Mephisto lay on the ground, having been knocked off his feet by Ghost Rider's last blow.

"Ketch," Mephisto hissed. "You know who is here. You can feel his presence as well as I can. The Devourer of Worlds. We must leave."

"I thought you didn't fear death, Devil?" Ghost Rider laughed. "Or aren't you sure what will happen to you if you're on this planet when he feasts on it? What Hell does the Devil go to when he dies? Let's find out."

Mephisto sprang to his feet, lunging at Ghost Rider. He shoved him off the ledge that they currently occupied, and Ghost Rider landed with a thud on the level beneath them. Mephisto snapped his fingers, and two of the green Brood pounced on Ghost Rider, their teeth digging into his arms.

"Thought you were going to leave them out of this, Mephisto?" Ghost Rider said, struggling to break free of their grip.

"You surprised me, Ketch, I must admit. You were a worthy adversary after all, and your power actually rivaled my own. I had not expected that. However, I know when to make my exit. I wanted your soul, and it looks like I'll get it anyway. You can stay here on this damned planet while Galactus feeds on it, and I'll see you in Hell soon enough."

Mephisto turned and walked away, the sound of his laughter echoing throughout the flaming cave.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"Are you sure about this Fury!" Reed Richards shouted as he continued to manipulate a half dozen controls on his consoles. Sparks and explosions rang out throughout the Baxter Building and the entire foundation shook to the core. There were wisps of energy and flow currents being released into the air from the excess energy building up in the containment core and The Thing was maxing out his strength threshold in a vain effort to try and stop the overflow. Even in this time of duress, Reed was still impressed by the strength and determination his rocky friend possessed.

"Shut up Richards!" Fury continued to bark as he lit another cigar. Only a man that had seen war like him could stay calm in a situation that could result in the destruction of multiple worlds, "For a genius, Richards, you sure can be stupid as hell sometimes. Fix this thing now Piotr. And I swear to god, I'll fucking blow her head clean off if this goes wrong again." Fury drew a magnum from his coat and aimed it at the diminutive woman sitting in a wheelchair in front of him. The woman in the wheelchair was Wanda Maximoff, otherwise known as the Scarlett Witch, and also currently the most wanted mutant terrorist on Earth.

"You know you'd never get the trigger pulled, Fury, before I dropped you like a stone," Quicksilver said defiantly as he placed a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"Actually, I've neutralized your mutant power, Maximoff. Sorry, Fury's orders," Richards said quietly.

"Just do it kid, we don't have time for this," Fury muttered between a cloud of smoke. Quicksilver leaned in front of his sister and took both of her hands in his.

"Beloved, you have to hear me now," he said as quietly as he could over the roar of the explosions. His voice was no more than a loud whisper. "You have to be strong again sister. The world needs you. I know you've been containing your power after what happened, but I need you to use it again, like Proffessor Xavier has taught you to once more. All this energy, you need to feel it, you need to feed it into Richards' machines and dissipate all of it, only you can do this, you have the strength Wanda, please, for all of us…" Quicksilver paused for what seemed like an eternity, "…for Vision." Quicksilver's words reached Wanda, who had lived in a quasi-coma since she lost total control of her chaos magics. She stood upright out of her wheelchair and raised her arms with the grace of a dancer. The energies of the room swirled and gathered around her like serpents coiling around a post. The colors of them changed, faded, shifted, and combined around her with incredible force and magnitude. The room began to dim as all of the energy from the lights were sucked into the void that was encircling Wanda. Suddenly, there was an incredible flash of energy and light and a small sonic boom exploded through the room. The shockwave knocked everyone to the floor, and when the smoke cleared, Wanda had vanished.

"Wanda!" Quicksilver screamed. Reed stood up and shook the debris from his elongated body and checked his equipment readout screens.

"Energy levels have stabilized. Wanda did it, she successfully rerouted all the excess power building up. However, I didn't calculate what all of that energy channeling would do to her, and I'm not sure exactly what has happened to her," Richards said quizzically.

"You don't know, you son of a bitch Fury!" Quicksilver said violently grabbing Fury's shirt collar. Fury brushed him off and found his cigar amongst the pile of rubble in the laboratory. He relit the cigar, and blew the smoke into Quicksilver's face.

"Crisis averted soldier, she did a damn fine job. I just wonder, when she comes back, and you know she'll be back Maximoff, what will she become and do?" Fury said coldly. Fury glanced at Reed, and Reed touched a button on his console.

"This isn't over Fury," Quicksilver spat as he vanished in a blur of motion.

"It never is boy, it never is."

The Hulk was confused. "Hulk only want to be left alone," the brutish monster thought to himself as he continued to smash everything in his wake. Every blow he rained down caused the Earth to tremble. The Hulk was confused, where was little puny man? Why was puny man flying? Hulk didn't care. Hulk smash. The Hulk continued to level destruction in front of him. Whether it was crushing Madrox multiples or shattering the exoskeletons of Brood drones, the carnage continued. When the giant, towering, imposing menace of Galactus appeared, the Hulk spoke for the first time since emerging from the catacombs below.

"Hulk is the strongest there is! Hulk smash purple man!" The Hulk roared in rage. The Hulk squatted down in a crouching position and summoned up all of his rage. He sprung like a cannonball into the sky, into the stratosphere of the planet. The Hulk flew like a missile into the upper atmosphere towards the head of the mighty Galactus. In one incredible moment of momentum and rage and fury, the Hulk punched Galactus square in the face and caused the massive entity's head to actually twist sideways from the incredible blow.

"Now that was cool," Wolverine muttered to himself as he regained his sense of self. He cursed himself for thanking Magneto from bringing him out of his beserker rage, however, he still wanted a piece of the action around him. Galactus turned his head back to the Hulk, who was pounding away at his chest area. He took one swift motion with his massive hand and swatted the Hulk like a fly back to the planet's surface. The Hulk smashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater surrounding his body. The Hulk, even as impervious as he was, reeled from the destructive blow and began to feel real pain. In that brief moment, it was all the window of opportunity the infinite mind of Charles Xavier needed to get into the green behemoth's head. He used his mind to sooth the beast, to assuage his pain, to lessen his rage and quiet it like a soft blanket. In that instant, the Hulk finally subsided and transformed, leaving in that giant crater a small, thin, weak, and very naked human being. Bruce Banner wiped away the grime from his eyes and looked around himself. He saw millions of Brood insect warriors, millions of the same faced man, Captain America, Namor, Magneto, Wolverine, and the huge shadow cast over himself and the entire landscape by Galactus.

"Well, I'm sure this is going to be one hell of long story," Banner said hoarsely. A few Brood leapt towards him in attack, but the blows never landed as they were intercepted by Captain America's massive shield.

"Welcome back Banner. How do you like your rescue mission?" Cap said as he smashed another Brood insect in the face.

"Oh it's great, Steve, thanks. And um, is that Galactus?" Banner said, pointing up into the sky.

"Yeah, you just punched him in the face," Cap said, deflecting another attacking Brood.

"Cool," mumbled Banner. All of a sudden, the ground burst open and Ghost Rider emerged on a flaming motorcycle. "Wow, Ghost Rider too! This is like a wild acid trip!" Cap looked over at Banner and wondered for a moment if his scientist friend had finally lost it. Ghost Rider circled around Banner and Cap, creating a protective shield of hellfire energy.

"Where's Mephisto?" Cap asked up to the fiery rider.

"Dealt with and gone for now," Ghost Rider said as he used his chain to defend the circle he had made around the two men. "Now let's get the hell off of this rock!" He used his chain to once again summon the others around him and gather them to the forcefield generated by his mystical motorcycle. Once he had the others together, they still had to try and deal with the Madroxes. "Well, I sure as hell can't fit all of them on the bike." Magneto looked at the two Madrox Multiples that were on the bike and the still million some odd more fighting the Brood around them.

"Charles, if you're still there, we could use some help with the Mr. Madroxes,"

Magneto asked. Jamie smiled and a look of calm came over all the Madroxes as the mind of Xavier calmed them, and helped them maximize their power. In a brilliant flash, there was only a single Madrox on the bike.

"Whoa. I feel like I might vomit," Madrox said. He did.

"Gross," muttered Logan as he wiped off the vomit from his legs.

"Hold onto something, we have to go back through Hell to get home," Ghost Rider said. He waved his free hand in front of him and opened up another hell portal to travel through. The gang of heroes vanished into the dark void.

The mighty Galactus reached his two massive arms and buried his hands into the planets' core. As he sucked the energy and resources of the planet into his mighty form, it began to break up around him. The dying screams of the Brood colony shrieked and died into the distant void of space.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Susan Richards poured some more steaming hot coffee into her husband Reed's "World's Greatest Dad" mug. Their eyes locked, and they exchanged smiles.

"Anyone else need a refill?" she asked.

She looked around at the men seated at the table. Danny Ketch shook his head "no." Logan winked and took a swig of his beer. Steve Rogers smiled, nodded, and raised his coffee mug, and Sue came over to fill it. Erik Lensherr, Jamie Madrox and Bruce Banner all replied, "no thank you." Nick Fury pulled a flask out of his jacket and poured an unidentified liquid into his coffee, then proceeded to stir it casually with a spoon.

"It's too bad Namor couldn't stay for coffee, too," Sue said, throwing a mischevious, flirting glance at Reed.

"Indeed," Reed replied, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "But it was understandable that he felt a need to return to his Kingdom after the ordeal that you've all been through."

"Speaking of which," Fury said. "I'm dying to know just what happened between you and Mephisto, Ketch. You said he pushed you off the ledge, and two of those monster Brood were holding you down as he walked off. What happened next?"

"Well, it's hard to remember," Ketch said. "Keep in mind, I don't remember much of what happens when I become Ghost Rider... only bits and pieces. Like when you wake up from a dream... some things stay with you, but a lot of it fades. I remember hearing Mephisto laughing, and seeing the whole cave in flames... those two creatures sinking their teeth into me. And then, the one thing that I do remember, very clearly, was that I kept thinking about what Cap had said to me, earlier, after our confrontation with Mephisto at that old military complex. That bastard made all of us relive our most painful memories... and yet, somehow, I found the willpower to fight back and break through it. And Cap, you said that you had faith in me, and that you'd trust me with your life if it came to it. My memory of you saying that was able to break though, and I used that. I knew that you all were counting on me, and that you needed me. And I used that pain that Mephisto had put me through... I focused on it, and summoned all the rage and strength that I had inside of me. Most of it is a blur after that... but I remember setting those damn monsters on fire, breaking free of their grip, and just pummeling Mephisto into the ground, over and over and over again."

"Any idea what happened after that?" Fury asked. "Where is Mephisto now?"

"I don't know," Ketch said. "I remember tying him up with my chains, and leaving him in the cave. I think he was still on the Brood homeworld when Galactus devoured it."

"That would explain why we had no trouble crossing back through Hell," Steve said. "The creatures that reigned there all ran away from us in terror when we passed through the second time, as if they knew something that we didn't."

"Like that their master was dead," Fury said, taking a sip of his coffee. "But if Mephisto really was the devil, as he claimed to be, is death even possible for him? Can he be killed?"

"He claimed that he couldn't be," Danny said. "But he sure seemed afraid when Galactus showed up."

"Somehow I doubt we've seen the last of ol' horn head," Logan said. "The really bad ones always seem to have a way of turnin' back up."

"I think what bothers me the most is that we still don't even know for sure what is plan was," Steve said. "And that we probably will never know for sure. Those Hulked-out Brood that he created... was he going to turn them loose on Earth?"

"I think that's a safe assumption, Cap," Fury said. "My worry is... can we be sure that we really, completely stopped his plan, if we're not entirely sure what it was?"

Everyone's glances turned to Bruce Banner.

"Not to worry," Banner said. "I know what you're thinking. Reed had me completely checked out as soon as we got back. I'm completely Brood-Egg free."

"Well that's comforting," Logan said.

"How are you doing, Jamie?" Reed asked.

"Okay, I guess," Madrox replied, resting his head in his hands. "Though I have the worst migrane of my life, and my stomach feels like I just got off a 24-hour roller coaster ride. But, this herbal tea Sue made me is working wonders."

Erik stood up. "I should check in on my son," he said. "From what you've told me, Reed, Pietro was a bit upset when he left."

"Our GPS system shows that he's already back on Genosha," Fury said. "Your kids did good, Erik. And so did you. America owes you a debt of thanks."

Erik gave a mysterious smile. "I will certainly remember that." He donned his coat and fedora once more, and, after thanking Dr. and Mrs. Richards for the coffee, walked towards the door.

"Hey, Magnus," Logan called after him.

Erik stopped, and turned. "Yes?"

"Let's not plan on makin' these team-ups a regular event or anythin', eh, bub?"

"I wouldn't dream of it, Logan. I'll give Charles your regards." With that, Erik tipped his hat, and strolled out of the room.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Nick Fury and Jamie Madrox left soon after Erik departed, saying their goodbyes to the gathered Fantastic Four members and the rest of their team. Remaining at the table were Logan, Steve, Danny, and Reed. The door to the living room opened and a youthful looking teenager walked in. He was carrying a few duffel bags in each arm.

"Hey Stretch, hey sis, did anything interesting happen while I was on vacation?" Johnny Storm asked, dropping his bags to the floor. The gathered crowd laughed in unison at the private joke.

"No Johnny, nothing major, just the usual," Sue said, walking over and kissing her brother on the cheek. Johnny headed into the fridge to grab a drink after saying hello to the visitors to the Baxter building.

"Well, I guess that is everything. I'm going to get back now, to what I don't know," Danny said standing up.

"You handled yourself well out there kid. You might look into maybe hanging with us some time," Steve said as he too stood up from the table.

"The Avengers?" Danny said with a smile. "I don't know Steve, a hellfire wielding, cursed demon might bring the prestige of the team down."

"Shit, if they let me in and freakin' Parker, they'll let anyone in," Logan said

sarcastically. "Speaking of which, no offense Cap, but after we figure out this prison escape nonsense, you realize I'm outta this gig?"

"Of course Logan, and again, I appreciate everything you're doing for us," said Steve. The three said their goodbyes to Reed and the rest of the Fantastic Four and left the Baxter building. Sue walked over to her husband and sat on his lap, giving him an intimate kiss on the lips. As she slowly pulled away, Sue could tell that Reed had a worried look on his face.

"What is it honey?" Sue asked. Reed rubbed his temples with his hands and sighed.

"I don't know. Something about what Nick said before, about not picking Ghost Rider for that mission. Why would Mephisto lure him into this and then be defeated, seemingly so easily? It just doesn't sit well. And another thing, the power that Wanda accumulated, there was a reason I didn't suggest it before Fury did, because obviously, I had already thought of that option. With all of that power, there's no way even she could have dissipated all of it. I fear there could be some serious consequences from that action." Sue hugged her husband close and sighed to herself. It really never ended when you were a superhero. That's what made them Fantastic.

A man dressed in a drab brown business suit walked out of a Manhattan office building and headed into an alley off of Main Street. He walked deeper into the alley, and then, after rounding a corner, his body morphed and changed, revealing his true identity: Mephisto. The demon continued to walk around towards the back of the alley to an area that was not illuminated at all. He stopped short before reaching the darkened end of the alley.

"It is done. Although I must say, if I wasn't so very fond of chaos, I don't know if I would have completed your little task once you gave it to me," Mephisto said flatly.

"You've done everything as planned?" a cold, hollow voice said from the shadows.

"Of course. Exactly as you told me to. I've captured both the genetic material of the Hulk and the exact energy signature of the Spirit of Vengeance. Cost me dearly too, they actually had the gall to summon Galactus somehow. And the Brood, well, let's just say, it'll be awhile before any more of their nests originate," Mephisto said.

"I care nothing for a species of insects or for the world devourer. My only goal, as it has ever been, is this world," the cold, metallic voice said.

"Whatever. I just helped you because I had nothing better to do, and whatever you're planning on doing with the material I gave you will most likely result in lots of chaos and death, all of which I'm grateful for," Mephisto said as he began to walk away. "Just remember to let me have my fun once you do what you're gonna do."

"Trust me demon, you'll know when I act," the source of the voice emerged from the shadows and watched Mephisto depart. He was seven feet tall and clad in purple and dark blue armor. "Because En Saba Nuhr has returned, and I will make this world believe in Apocalypse once more," Apocalypse said coldly. He teleported away from the alley and even Mephisto felt a small chill crawl up his spine.

"This should be interesting," Mephisto said coyly. He, too, vanished with a swirl of black smoke.

-The End……….For Now-


End file.
